Jim Roberts had had a hard life. In the depression of 2008, he was jobless and living
Question:
Jim Roberts had had a hard life. In the depression of 2008, he was jobless and living in a vagrant shelter on the mean streets of Nowhereistan. Jim's sister and her two young children had it worse. Indeed, they were near to starvation. Frustrated by it all, Jim broke into a local grocery store and stole food for his sister and her children. As fate would have it, the grocery store had video cameras and Jim was apprehended and sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Prison life was Nowhereistan was extraordinarily difficult--the living conditions unsanitary, the guards brutal, the prison work back-breaking, and the food meager and of hideous smell and taste. The Captain of the prison guards - Mr. LeClerc, was an absolute stickler that all prison rules be strictly followed and violations were swiftly and severely punished. LeClerc held Jim in particular disdain. However, the Captain was keenly aware of and watchful with regard to Jim's unique talents. Specifically, Jim was a phenomenal climber and incredibly strong. He could lift weights that it normally took 3 men to accomplish. Using those physical talents, Jim broke out of prison by scaling the wall at the end of his first year in prison.
Jim was out of prison for six month before he was re-apprehended and locked up again. The sentence for jail escape was much harsher. Jim was sentenced to 12 more years of "hard time" in jail. Jim did the time, but grew indescribably bitter and hateful toward a society that had little care for him, his sister, her starving children, or anything else of value. Everything about society, Jim reasoned, was vile and contemptible. Jim was proud that he - the ex-con -- was better than others.
After serving the full-term of the second sentence, Jim was re-introduced to society. However, the introduction did not go well. In Nowhereistan, companies were allowed to pay convicted felons less than others and businesses were free to discriminate against for convicts. For example, on his first night out of jail, Jim could not find a hotel that would accept him. However, an old chaplain took him in to his house and provided him a warm meal and friendly conversation. The chaplain was a poor man himself with but one exception - he owned a beautiful set of the highest quality silverware. In the middle of the night Jim, full of hate and spite, put the silverware in his sack and ran out the door.
Hours later, Jim was spotted by local police who inquired of the goods in the sack. Seeing the silver (unusual contents for an obvious ex-convict), he was unceremoniously returned to the chaplain's home. They inquired of the chaplain whether the silver that Jim possessed actually belonged to him. The old chaplain greeted the police kindly and thanked them for their assistance but, he said, the silver was actually a gift that he gave to Mr. Roberts. Further, he noted, Mr. Roberts had forgot to take the very best piece, which he grabbed from inside of the house and inserted into the sack. He thanked the police for their service but assured them that all was well. When the police left, the chaplain pulled Jim aside and said, "With this silver I have bought your soul for God. Use this silver to become an honest man."
Overwhelmed, Jim wandered as if in a daze out of town and through the woods. He struggled to make sense of the great kindness of the chaplain and contemplated the depths to which he had fallen. While he mused, he spied a young boy walking through the woods. Still stoked with blind rage and hatred, he robbed the boy of $5 he had in his pocket. Since Nowhereistan has a "3 strikes" law that commits a person to life imprisonment in jail upon a 3rd offense, Jim was now in a difficult position. Nowhereistan was inflexible in the application of the 3-strikes law, and no amount of bribery, individual accomplishment, or political connection would hinder its application. Jim decided to change his name to Peter Griffith and a weeks later used the silver to start a business. To "Peter" Jim Roberts no longer existed.
As it turned out, Jim had a 3rd and even more impressive talent. He was clever with geology and well able to mine and extract content from certain rocks that were highly valued by local industry. He started his business and over a period of about 15 years, the business grew to over 500 employees and millions in revenue. The business was the single largest employer in the southwest of Nowhereistan, and employee well-being was highly dependent on Jim's unique talents. The lessons Jim learned from the gentle chaplain were not lost on him --- he was well-respected as a kind and generous employer who provided for his employee's needs. While the work was hard, Jim paid his employees twice that of others in the area. However, none of the employees had Jim's rare skill in geology and a sensible business succession plan was nowhere in sight. The town so appreciated "Peter's" talent and kindness they elected him Town Mayor in a landslide.
In August of 2023, a new Chief of Police was assigned to Peter's town - Mr. LeClerc, former head of the prison guard. LeClerc had moved on from prison work to a successful career in law enforcement. His success was widely attributed to his strict no-nonsense adherence to the law. In LeClerc's world, no crime should ever go unpunished. At first, Jim panicked. But, when they met, it was apparent that LeClerc did not make the connection to "Jim Roberts, prisoner." Yet, LeClerc sensed something was not right about the Town Mayor. He could not puzzle it out, but grew more curious with each passing day.
Later that year, an incredible event occurred. The Police, who had long pursued Jim Roberts as a "most Wanted Man" had arrested someone fitting his description in a city about 5 miles to the north of Jim's town. The real name of the man fitting Jim's description was M. Balsono. Balsono was a lifelong criminal. Unlike Jim, Balsono was rarely caught and, when caught, the type of crimes he had committed were not subject to the "3 strikes" rule. But if the Court concluded that Balsono was, in fact, Jim Roberts, he would spend the remainder of his life in the insufferable conditions of the Nowhereistan prison. Balsono insisted he was not Jim Roberts, but given his amazing likeness, the Police did not believe him. Balsono, living in the lower rungs of society and partially mentally impaired, had no convincing proof of his true identity.
Peter Griffith (Jim) was just told about the upcoming trial of "Jim Roberts" by an excited LeClerc, who was quite happy to see justice finally done. He crowed that "few were as deserving of a return to prison as Roberts." The trial was scheduled to occur the next day in a courthouse in the nearby city. Jim, overwhelmed by the news and recollecting the horror of his time in prison, went home to think about what, if anything, he should do. To his mind, he saw only two options: (a) go to the Court, reveal his true identity, and return to prison, or say nothing.
Required:
Reasoning from each of the philosophical models below, describe the likely decision outcome for Jim.
a. Teleological: Egoism (ethical, enlightened, rational)
b.Utilitarian: Act, Rule.
c. Deontological: Kant's categorical imperative, Golden rule, rights principle.
d.Justice.
e. Virtue ethics
Which decision outcome do you think to be "the right thing to do?" Why would you prefer that option over others?
How would you categorize your choice in by Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development? Explain your reasoning.
Core Concepts Of Accounting Information Systems
ISBN: 9780470507025
11th Edition
Authors: Nancy A. Bagranoff, Mark G. Simkin, Carolyn Strand Norman